Kirkpatrick-Durham Church Car Park

Our Fabric convener Tom Edgar writes after work on the project  started on 23/7/2008

"Diggers have moved out from the Glebe having dug out part of an area for the car park and utilized all the broken rock extracted from the outcrop in the field. The outcrop area is now neatly covered with topsoil and will need seeded with grass.

We knew there would be a shortfall in material required to form the car park and this is the case, however the area now established can be used for depositing suitable additional purchased or gifted material which ,when there is plenty there ,can be levelled out again by the diggers."

After a considerable delay Scottish Water agreed to replace the brittle 8" Water main pipe that ran across the proposed entrance to the new car park on September 7th this year. This allowed Jim Fingland Allan  Sinclair Ian Sommerville  and Andrew McQuaker to bring  42 trailer loads, about 500tons of hardcore from Culfad, gifted by George Nicholson to complete the base .This has now to be compacted ,covered with scalpings, fenced landscaped and tarmac laid at the entrance.

Mean while fund raising has continued to contribute to the final estimated cost of £16,600 .Almost £3000 has been raised from the Vestry day and donations in response to the letter sent to all in the village and surrounds. 

A further £839 was raised with the concert at KPD Church on 26th September making a total of £3794. We also have permission to release funds from our capital held by the Church of Scotland.

 We can therefore  now confidently proceed with the project

The trailers arrive

Jim Fingland delivers a load

Tom Sally and Hugh Porteous review progress

7 ton vibrator producing 32 tons compaction of the hard core

                                                                                                                                

Top surface now being spread

Neil McConnell has completed the dyking at the entrance

February 19th 2010,18 months after starting, Car Park now in use for the first time. Gates have been hung and dykes lowered to improve sight lines. The full capacity of 52 cars has been used on this occasion.

29th July 2010

Further work in progress to remove turf and soft ground and place hardcore to allow pedestrian access from the car park to the Kirk.

  Showing the small pedestrian gate linking the car park to the Kirkyard and with spread gravel.